FGG Newsletter March 2025

           🍎Food Garden Group newsletter - March 2025🍎

 We like to grow what we eat 

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In this newsletter - What to do in your food garden in March, this month's Northern and Southern food garden visits, last month's visits in words and pictures, visits planned for April, pruning fruit trees, and more.

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This month's Southern food garden visit

On Sunday 23 March at 10.30am you will be very welcome in Ailsa's garden at Mornington.

About her garden Ailsa wrote

The move to this steep property was 12 years ago. The compact block has a rise of 10 metres from the front to back so no need for gym membership while gardening here on this north facing slope. The soil is a good red soil. The down side is the soil is 50% medium to large rocks. I decided to put these rocks into gabion cages to terrace my block into many plantable levels. 

Just before Covid hit, my brother had offered some materials to cover a wide strip along the southern end and a frame was all up before lockdown, and netted shortly after. I use it for short term plantings.

The rental property on my western side has a neglected garden and the thirsty, hungry residents have all sent their roots my way. Initially it was only plants along the boundary that were moved to containers, but last autumn was spent moving many plants to containers or placing membranes under the beds in this half of the garden. It has been a journey of much problem solving while also producing many joys. 

The eastern side of the garden is not competing with hungry neighbours and is productive beyond expectations. Five citrus trees do well here, with only a finger lime struggling with the competition.

A small fig cutting was placed behind a retaining wall. A shallow layer of soil over this has grown a vigorous productive fig tree needing to be halved in size each pruning. 

A couple of terraces above the fig is the avocado. I had seen Wendy’s tree in Sandy Bay, so knew they fruited in Hobart and some years it has been very generous. This year’s harvest is very small with two of the five fruit enjoyed over Christmas and I hope the other three last till the FGG visit. The crop for the following year is beyond expectations, as the tree was confused about seasons last year and started flowering in May. Last November we were lucky enough to have a few warm days and nights when pollination was optimal. There are now about 50 young avocados developing on the tree for me to enjoy the first fruit next Christmas. This tree is a Hass, and a few years ago a piece of Bacon was grafted on to it. Last November this graft had its first flowers and didn’t set any fruit, but may have assisted pollination. 

I recently planted out two pieces of Dragonfruit, one into a pot, one in the garden, and have a few to give away in exchange for advice on growing this tropical fruit …. without a glasshouse.

Contributions for morning tea and the produce table will be much appreciated! 

Discussion topics: Citrus, Avocado, Dragonfruit, food garden enclosures

This Southern visit will be at Mornington, 10.30am on Sunday 23 March

If you would like to come please RSVP to foodgardengroup@gmail.com  

When you RSVP please clearly state who you are RSVPing for and provide names if you want to bring others, so we can have a name sticker ready for every person.

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This month's Northern food garden visit

On Sunday 16 March at 10.30am you will be very welcome in David and Deb's garden at Youngtown.

About their garden David and Deb wrote:

When we moved into the 900 m2 ‘house’ block in 1978, the only edibles were Jerusalem artichokes, gooseberries, blackcurrants, Loganberries and an old apple tree. The soil is clay based (dig down 30 cm and hit pure clay), and the back section had been dug in one direction. There were a few mounds that may have been garden beds. A low chain fence covered in ivy separated the back part at the rear of the house.

With a very young family, there was little time for gardening in the first few years. The chain fence was removed and the ivy cleared. The artichokes, gooseberries and blackcurrants were removed and the Loganberries were moved to the back fence (where they are still producing 47 years later).

The garden has undertaken a steady evolution. Vegetable beds were moved about. For some time we kept chickens, and the fences were replaced and apple trees espaliered along them. The apple varieties are Mutsu Crispin, Pink Lady, Cox’s Orange Pippin, Yellow Delicious and Granny Smith. Some have been grafted.

In the house block we also planted an apricot, mulberry, fig and peach, and the old unknown apple variety still produces (We have been told the block was part of an orchard and this is the only tree remaining. It would make it at least 75 years old). A large silver birch tree dominates the back garden (it was a mere sapling when we moved in).

Eighteen years ago we were able to purchase the adjacent 800 m2 cleared block . All of our vegetable production has been relocated into nine raised beds in this block. Two beds, herbs and raspberries) are permanent. The others are in rotation. We concentrate on vegetables that we like; carrots, beans, broccoli, corn, tomatoes, strawberries, asparagus, with some zucchini and pumpkin. We concentrate on a spring/summer/autumn garden.

The block also has a 3m x 6m glasshouse which we use mainly for raising seedings and cuttings. Also on the block are two lemon trees, blueberries, a three-way pear, six olive trees, a greengage and a chestnut.

You will note that as much of our time is spent on the ornamental aspect of our garden as the edible. We believe that it is as important to provide food for the soul as well as the body. That is why we surround ourselves with pretty things. We hope you enjoy your visit.

Contributions for the produce table will be much appreciated! 

Deb and David are offering wood-fired pizzas for morning tea after the garden viewing. Attendees are welcome to bring their favourite toppings, although all the ‘usual suspects’ will be supplied. Anybody with special dietary requirements is asked to supply their own ingredients. If not wanting pizza, you are welcome to bring morning tea to share as usual.

This Northern visit will be at Youngtown on Sunday 16 March at 10.30am

If you would like to come please RSVP to fggnorthtas@gmail.com

When you RSVP please clearly state who you are RSVPing for and provide names if you want to bring others and for catering purposes, also state if you will be eating pizza. 

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Last month's food garden visits

On Sunday 23 February the Northern Food Garden Group visited Kate and Roy's garden at Grindelwald:

Fifteen minutes north of Launceston, Kate and Roy's garden is surrounded by Tamar Valley vineyards and views of blackwoods, wattles and eucalypts from every angle of their 1 hectare block. After some very welcome early morning rain of 10mls, the rain clouds cleared and we enjoyed a balmy morning in an interesting and productive garden.

You can read the complete article about this garden here.

On Sunday 16 February the Southern Food Garden Group visited Marian and Pat's garden at Taroona:

 

On a sunny but cold morning in February we were lucky to visit Marian’s vibrant and lush food forest in Taroona. In a little under six years Marian and her husband Pat have transformed a previously loved-but-neglected space into a thriving mix of fruit trees, vegetables, chicken habitat, and flowers.

You can read the complete article about this garden here.

Many thanks to Denby and Nicki (North) and Ngaire (South) for writing up these visits. 

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Food garden visits planned for April

South

Sunday 13 April: Maria and Michel's garden at Ferntree

North

Sunday 13 April: Nicki's garden at Ravenswood

A big thank you to these FGG members for being happy to host a visit!

Please be aware: dates and gardens may change! Each visit will be advertised in this newsletter at the start of the month the visit is in. At that time you can RSVP, not before. 

There is a maximum number of people that can attend each visit. To avoid disappointment please RSVP early in all cases.

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Feedback from food garden visit hosts

Here are some of the comments that hosts made after a FGG visit to their garden:

• It was an absolute pleasure for us to host a recent garden visit by the Food Garden Group and to share our property with like-minded friends. Max and Gaye are great organisers and arranged the entire event from roadside signage to parking areas, tables, urn and mugs. If you are thinking of hosting a garden event at your place, please get in touch with Max and Gaye and lock in a date. We would be pleased to come along and share our love of gardening - Gemma & Geoff Nov24

• It's great to see our own garden through others' eyes - Karen D 19Feb23

• Hosting a garden visit is fun and rewarding. We spend so much time in our food gardens and it is lovely to be able to share it with fellow gardeners who appreciate our efforts. Max and Gaye make the process so easy for you as a host. You only need to supply tea, coffee, sugar, milk, spoons and maybe a couple of chairs and they bring everything else. Please consider hosting a visit to your garden - Denby B 22Jan23

• Such a lovely morning, thanks so much for organising these get togethers, so nice hanging out with other gardeners and sharing our gardens – Belinda R 10Dec22

• It is so nice to have people visit our garden who can appreciate what we are trying to do, and to see it through fresh eyes ourselves. Plus, it was very good motivation to get some lingering jobs crossed off our list! – Ngaire D 25Sep22

After the April food garden visits there will be a winter break. Visits will resume in September. If you would like to explore the possibility of a visit to your food garden next season, now is a great time to email .....

• Max at foodgardengroup@gmail.com for Southern visits
• Denby at fggnorthtas@gmail.com for Northern visits

We always visit hosts and their gardens first to discuss what we bring, dates, parking, maximum number of people you would be happy with, etcetera, and to make sure that everything will be nice and easy on the day. Please talk to us to explore the possibility. Without hosts we won't have any visits!

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New on the Food Garden Group blog

Garlic is sometimes described as easy to grow, but that does not mean that you can plant your garlic cloves just anywhere and then they look after themselves until harvest time. This post discusses what to do to make your garlic really happy, so you maximise your chances of a great harvest. Read more in new blog post Garlic - Getting the Basics Right.

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March is a good time to prune fruit trees 

The best time for pruning stone fruit trees (peach, nectarine, apricot, plum) is after you have picked the fruit, and when the growth of the tree begins to slow down in anticipation of losing leaves and then going dormant.  That means March - April! If you prune these trees in winter, cuts may not heal well because the tree is dormant.

Other fruit tree varieties such as apple and pear are more tolerant of pruning in winter, but also respond better if pruned before they go dormant.

Food Garden Group blog post Quick Guide to Pruning Fruit Trees contains

• General fruit tree pruning hints.
• Specific hints for Apple, Pear, Apricot, Citrus, Fig, Loquat, Peach, Nectarine, Plum.

Pruning is not hard. If you make a cut that you later regret, most fruit trees are very forgiving. Whatever you do will be much better than letting a fruit tree go out of control, so you get small fruits on a tree that is too high. Just have a go. You won't regret it!

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Food garden activities suggested for March

• Water regularly to make sure your soils don’t dry out
• Make sure beds are well mulched to conserve water
• Keep weeds at bay and don't allow them to go to seed
• Sow green manures where your soil needs to become more open and friable

Vegetables

• Sow in pots loose-leaf lettuce, parsley, celery, brassicas, Chinese cabbage, Asian greens, endive, leeks, loose-leaf lettuce, endive and parsley, spring and salad onions

• Sow in your garden carrot, beetroot, parsnips, swedes, radish, silverbeet, winter varieties of spinach (try sowing one row every fortnight)

• Sow in your hothouse herbs like coriander and dill for use this winter and spring

• Plant loose-leaf lettuce, celery, parsley, garlic and onion and leek (after adding some lime to the soil), celery (if your garden gets little frost in winter), brassica (provide protection against caterpillars)

• Minimise caterpillar damage to brassicas by manual removal, netting or spraying
• Foliar-feed crops once a month with seaweed extract to maximise growth before it slows down
• Collect seeds from heirloom varieties of crops you like to grow again next season
• Remove flower-heads on rhubarb so plants focus on forming leaves
• Dig up potatoes and hill the ones that you are leaving for later
• Put something under pumpkins that rest on the ground so they don’t rot
• Sprinkle sulphate of potash once a month around vegetables that form fruits

Fruit trees and berries            (* = don't repeat if already done recently)

• Put nets over apple and pear trees, if not already done
• Remove runners on strawberries and put in pots so you have young plants next season
• Thin fruit on apple, pear and quince trees, so fruits become larger
• Remove and destroy coddling moth infested fruit on apple, pear and quince trees
• Trap and kill coddling moths on apple, pear and quince trees
• Check existing coddling moth traps and replace and refresh where needed
• After harvest feed peach and nectarine trees blood & bone or mature poultry manure (*)
• Feed citrus trees a watering can with a tbsp of Epsom Salts + a tbsp of iron chelate (*)
• Remove small figs so remaining ones grow to full size
• Prune apple, pear, quince, cherry and stone fruit trees once their foliage stops growing

Many of the topics mentioned above are discussed in posts on the Food Garden Group blog.

For a complete list of suggested food garden activities for every month of the year see Food Garden Calendar on the Food Garden Group blog.

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Happy food gardening,

Max Bee

FGG coordinator

 

 

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Lots of food gardening info can be found at https://foodgardengroup.blogspot.com/

For past food garden visits, recipes and past newsletters see https://fggextra.blogspot.com/

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The Food Garden Group is affiliated with Sustainable Living Tasmania